Chinese rescue team arrives in Türkiye

Chinese rescue team arrives in Türkiye. (Photo courtesy of Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management)

ADANA, Türkiye, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- After flying over 8,000 km on a chartered Air China plane, an 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport on Wednesday to assist in rescue efforts in the quake-hit areas in Türkiye.

According to Zhao Ming, head of the Chinese rescue team which arrived at 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT), based on the local conditions, the Chinese rescue team immediately started the unloading and transfer work, and coordinated with the Chinese Embassy in Türkiye, the local government and relevant UN agencies as soon as possible.

The team took over specific search and rescue missions based on the current rescue progress, and plans to send a rescue team to survey the site of the mission and choose safe and suitable locations to set up camps.

"As a Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team certified by the United Nations, the Chinese rescue team is equipped with excellent personnel and resources, and can carry out search and rescue operations in two different work sites at the same time," said Wang Mo, deputy head of the Chinese rescue team. "Upon arrival, the team will bring audio and video life detectors, medical equipment and rescue dogs to the disaster area and immediately start the search and rescue work."

The latest death toll from the massive earthquakes in Türkiye stood at 5,894 with 34,810 injuries, the country's Anadolu agency reported on Wednesday, citing Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay as saying.

The Chinese Embassy in Türkiye confirmed to Xinhua that no Chinese casualties have been reported so far.

According to Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake with a depth of 7 km struck Türkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT), which was strongly felt in the neighboring provinces of Gaziantep, Hatay and Malatya. There were numerous aftershocks in the vicinity.

Chinese rescue team arrives in Türkiye. (Photo courtesy of Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management)